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Personal Stories
In the middle of the battle field in South Sudan
Michael Maluwel, 29, has been in the military for over 15 years. After completing his training in 1998, he was posted to the Nuber Mountains where he worked until 2013. When the conflict began in Juba, Michael had just been transferred to Benitu State, close to the Sudan border.
Residents of areas surrounding Juba never imagined that the conflict in Juba would spill over and reach their states.
“We had no idea that the conflict would reach here,” he said. “We always thought of this as a Juba administration problem.� Read More
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Personal Stories
Amina’s Story
Amina Saidi is a 37 year old mother of five, residing in Mkamba ward of Mkuranga District, an hour’s drive southeast of Dar es Salaam. Mkuranga is one of the poorest districts in southern Tanzania.
Amina’s life is one of poverty which is evident in the structure of her house. The two room house constructed from wood and earth has the roof of the section that serves as the kitchen partially thatched in grass with most of it left open, exposing her and her children to the elements of rain and the scorching sun. The adjoining ‘room’ ser
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Personal Stories
Fighting Malaria at Community and Household Level
Milka Akinyi wakes up nauseous, feverish and too weak to walk to the nearest hospital, which is five kilometres away. She sends for Alice Aoko, the Community Health Worker (CHW) in her area.
Milka’s symptoms are similar to those of malaria. To confirm or rule this out, Alice performs a test using the Rapid Diagnostic Test Kit (RDT). She pricks Milka’s middle finger, draws blood and places it on a strip. The reading is positive for malaria and Alice administers Arthemeter Lumefantrine (AL), the malarial drug recommended by Kenya’s Minis
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News
Amref Health Africa’s Position Statement on Traditional Birth Attendants
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), a traditional birth attendant (TBA) is “a person who assists the mother during childbirth and who initially acquired her skills by delivering babies herself or by working with other TBAs”. In addition to attending deliveries, TBAs help with initiating breastfeeding; providing health education on sexually transmitted illnesses (STIs), reproductive health and nutrition; visiting mothers during and shortly following delivery to check for and educate them on the associated danger signs; and accompanying referrals to the health facilities for co
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News
Amref Health Africa’s Position Statement on Task Shifting
In recent years, the world has been experiencing a chronic shortage of well-trained health workers. A total of 57 countries, 36 of which are in sub-Saharan Africa but also including Bangladesh, India and Indonesia, face crippling health workforce shortages. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that over 4 million health workers are needed to fill the gap. The global deficit of doctors, nurses and midwives is at least 2.4 million worldwide, and 1 million in sub-Saharan African. Read More
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News
Amref Health Africa’s Position Statement on Genital Female Mutilation/Cutting
Female Genital Mutilation (FMG), also known as Female Genital Cutting (FGC), comprises all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It has no health benefits and harms girls and women in many ways. (more…)
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News
Amref Health Africa’s Position Statement on Community Health Workers
A widely accepted definition of Community Health Workers proposed by a World Health Organisation (WHO) Study Group (1989) is: “Community health workers should be members of the communities where they work, should be selected by the communities, should be answerable to the communities for their activities, should be supported by the health system but not necessarily a part of its organisation, and have shorter training than professional workers.” Read More
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News
Amref Health Africa’s Position Statement on MSM
While the ‘war on AIDS’ has achieved remarkable successes there still exist important gaps in global strategies aimed at containing the HIV/AIDS epidemic, with certain key populations not adequately addressed. Men who have sex with men (MSM) are one such population, and implementation of strategies that comprehensively address HIV prevention and transmission risks in this community is clearly a weak link in global HIV prevention and control efforts that represents a real threat to progress with global HIV/AIDS control and needs to be urgently addressed. Read More